Epicurean Concept of the Week – Barding

Seems there is a word for everything – like “barding.” Barding means wrapping a substantial piece of meat in other fatty strips of meat. So that bacon wrapped piece of goodness? Yes, that’s barding.

Barding keeps a lean cut of meat moist and keeps it from overcooking when being roasted, while also imparting flavor. Usually pork fatback is used for barding, but also sometimes bacon. How it works is that during cooking the fat is rendered and trickles through the meat, essentially basting it in yummy, fatty goodness.

Whether it is done to meat or poultry, it works equally well – all you do is wrap thin layers of fatback or bacon around the piece you are intending to roast and then wrap the whole piece in kitchen twine. Viola! You have just barded!